As the patriarch and matriarch of Marvel's first family, Reed Richards and Sue Storm's love life is fully focused on their marriage. While Reed's hyper-fixation on scientific breakthroughs occasionally causes him to neglect emotional intimacy, his devotion to Sue is the bedrock of the team. Despite his long struggle with feelings of loneliness alienation, Ben Grimm has a beautiful relationship with Alicia Masters, who's now an official part of the Fantastic Four family. Meanwhile, Johnny Storm has long maintained a reputation as the ultimate flamboyant playboy and womanizer of the superhero community, chasing fast cars and fleeting romances.
The Human Torch is the member of the Fantastic Four with the most short-lived relationships, including the Inhuman princess Crystal, the model-turned-Herald Frankie Raye, and even his accidental marriage with the shape-shifting Skrull spy Lyja.
Marvel Subtly Acknowledges Johnny Storm's Bisexuality Again
Queen In Black #4; Written By Al Ewing; Art By Iban Coello, Paco Medina, And Guru-eFX
During the chaotic war at the heart of Queen in Black, the Fantastic Four manage to defeat the symbiote Firelord, with Captain R'gars and the Thing holding him still and the Human Torch teaming up with Nova to blast the former Herald of Galactus into pieces. Before they join their energy to kill Firelord, Johnny Storm takes his time to compliment Nova's cologne, and Nova promises to buy Johnny a bottle. Nova also throws Johnny a subtle nod, wording his command as "I need you as hot as it gets," and Johnny responds with "that's every day of my life."
While long depicted as a heterosexual playboy, Marvel has dropped breadcrumbs toward his queer identity. Marjorie Liu's Daken: Dark Wolverine run features heavy sexual tension between Johnny and Wolverine's son, Akihiro, who may or may not have slept together after an accidental skirmish results in Daken casually changing into Johnny's clothes at the Baxter Building. Johnny's flirtatious relationship with Peter Parker, casual admissions of attraction to non-binary alien species, and an enthusiastic "Flame on! Literally!" text response to Iceman coming out all tease his bisexuality. However, unlike Star-Lord, whose bisexuality and polyamory were explicitly textually confirmed in Guardians of the Galaxy #9, Johnny’s orientation is still officially unannounced.
Marvel's Bisexual Representation Still Needs More Love
Consistency Is Key To Marvel's Bi Characters
Marvel Universe's bisexual representation has a certain visibility problem, as several high-profile characters are officially confirmed as bi, but their same-sex attraction is gradually overlooked afterward. Star-Lord's cosmic romance with Aradia and Mors was a massive step forward, but his subsequent appearances immediately reverted him back to his default state. Likewise, Valkyrie and Black Cat have had their bisexuality explicitly canonized in their solo titles, but these developments are rarely integrated into major Avengers or Spider-Man crossover events.
To truly cultivate meaningful representation, there must be a better narrative support to Marvel's notable bisexual figures. Characters like Akihiro have proudly had complex queer relationships, but other bi heroes like Prodigy and Speed deserve prominent spots on frontline rosters rather than background cameos. Big events like weddings or relationship announcements aren't strictly necessary. Just exploring these relationships without letting them dissolve between creative team handoffs would be a great leap forward.
Which LGBTQ+ Marvel hero is your favorite?
Queen in Black #4 is now available from Marvel Comics
First Film
The Fantastic Four
Video Game(s)
Fantastic Four (1997), Fantastic Four (2005)
Latest Film
Fantastic Four
Upcoming Films
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
English (US) ·